Monster Hunter Yoshu
by MentalBrink
Summary: The Story of Yoshu and his journey becoming a Hunter
1. Chapter 1

1

"Yoshu," Quek said to me, pointing out to my family's farmland barren of my brother and father.

I shook my head as the two of us worked our way to the field's fence to cross it. That's what he meant; it was strange they weren't there at this time of day. After some time had passed since we swiftly scaled the wood fence, I tried to explain to Quek my best rationing.

"I bet they needed something in the village."

Quek was only a year younger than I, but he easily outweighed my by seventy five pounds. I stole a glance at my lifelong friend; his red hair had grown out of control again.

We walked past the stable and approached our home. The scent of burning pine motioned me to search the chimney. Mother was cooking something, during the middle of the day! Something like this could only mean we had guests. I felt a strong erge to roughhouse with my cousins, since my father's sister's family was our usual guests. The front door was open just a crack, meaning Mother had been cooking for some time. There wasn't the usual relieve from the blazing sun as we entered.

"There, the shorter one. Tha's my boy. You see? Built like the best of 'em!"

Father was drinking, meaning our guests were not family; Father saved all his spirits for the absolute special occasions.

All the windows were opened to the bright outside, filling the cottage with plenty sufficient light. In front of Father a rather leathered man turned to look at me. I didn't recognize him from the village; neither did Quek who tapped me wondering if he was family. We met eyes and I shook my head.

"I see, I see," the man acknowledged. "And you say he is seventeen?"

"Yes, I know, it's a tad late to start a good proper trainin' but Yoshu learns exceedingly well! The brightest one o' family!" His cheeks flesh.

"Father?" I asked no more, in fear of insulting this man should I be expected to know him.

"Ah, boy, come 'ere! Your future depends on it!" he said, raising his hands and spilling a bit from his mug in the process.

I looked at Mother who was fanning some muffins fresh from the iron oven.

An absolute special occasion indeed.

I did as I was instructed, leaving Quek by the gaping door confused. I shrugged to him; I didn't want him to leave.

The leathered bald man stood up, circling me,

"Yes, the life at the farm has served his body well. Remarkable the amount of muscle on his frame. Still, the matter of age makes his acceptance gloom."

The drunken twinkle in Father's eyes diminished, but he fought on.

"He's been hunting with Quek for years, always marksman kills. Yoshu is the most obedient young man you'll ever meet! NO matter the order, he will do it, NO questions asked!" I locked eyes with father, was he trying to sell me?

I dropped my gaze before Father would think I was protesting. What the hell was going on?

"He's too strong for a gunner or archery, no; he'd be far more useful up close."

The man dug into his cloke, retrieving two sabers which he tossed at me. In half panic, half pure reaction, I managed to catch both by the handle at the same time.

"Sir?" I asked, unsure what to do.

"Well, Yoshu, give them a whirl!" The alcohol starting to sink into him as well.

As a boy, like all boys, I fought with other boys. Sometimes out of anger, but usually we fought for fun. As we grew bored with wrestling, we picked up sticks. Though these metal killers were much heavier than a tree branch, I was no idiot to handle them.

I swung them around, pretending to attack an invisible target. I jumped back, parried, and then lunged forward in an experienced attack. The blades sang a metal hum as I whipped them through the air.

After my display, Father clapped his hands together.

"You see? That was bloody perfect! A natural hun'er!"

Hunter? Hunter! No...That couldn't be it! Could it? Ice ran through my veins,

"A Hunter?" I asked.

The man nodded, "An explanation is rightfully due, Yoshu. You see, I met your father at the pub in... The village-"

"Gepqul," My father butted in, excitement overtaking him.

"-Yes, Gepqul pub. Young man, we began to talk, talked of my profession. I'm a trainer, a hunter trainer in Miroluk. Your father insisted I surveyed you, said you were made for greatness. So here I am, and I think I have my mind now."

He glanced at Father, whose expression was that of a toddler receiving candy.

The man looked at me again, "Lad, what's your take? Does a hunter's life suit you?"

Father gave me a look that said, _IT BETTER DAMN BE SO!_

I needed no pushing, since I only dreamed of becoming a hunter my whole life!

I nodded, "Yes, always has!"

He laughed as he slapped me on the back, "Then, what are you waiting for? Pack your things, snap to!"

I bounded towards my quarters, and then stopped dead.

Quek. No way in hell I could leave him.

"Yoshu, go." he said, grim faced.

"Quek-" I started.

"Who do we have here? That bull your son as well?" The man asked Father, who returned the question with a dumbfounded stare.

"No sir, I am a friend. My family lives just down the path." he said, pointing to his left.

"Well, hurry along and fetch them! I might as well take you too; won't find a bigger lad anywhere!"

Father had done well, getting this man drunk.

Quek's face was pure radiance of joy; he stumbled as he dashed out the door and pounded down the dirt road home.

I entered my space, pulling a tattered bag from under my clothing and began the process of filling it with all my possessions.

When I returned a few moments later, I caught Vahne and Father arguing,

"-But Father! I am stronger! I have killed twice that of Yoshu!"

"Vahne, your brother is better suited by age and just barely. Now is not the time to detest me, Son! This is bigger than you, than our family!"

"-Father!" Vahne started a second time.

"Vahne! You'd be dead before you could blink with that leg!" Father spat out, then simmered when he realized what he said.

Vahne, my older brother by four years, was born with a leg that functioned improper. Vahne always tried to prove himself equal to everyone, but he still couldn't run much. Growing up, it was the source of heated fights. Vahne was a fighter, but his body had failed him from birth. A shame, but he was still very strong and useful on the farm. He knows he couldn't ever be a hunter, so why was he insisting he goes as well?

Vahne looked as if he was to start again, but Father raised his hand. My brother noticed me at the doorway, his gaze followed by the others in the room.

I could feel his hatred for me burning into the back of my skull, never have I seen him like this.

Wordless, Vahne limped out the door just as the winded body of Quek hurtled through the door.

Unaware of the vehement, Quek hunched over and pointed towards the old man,

"See? There is the man! He wants me too! Mother! Father! I can be a hunter!"

Even more breathless was Quek's parents, who were younger than my own. They hurriedly made their way to the old man and gratefully shook his hand.

"Oh! Sir, you have a heart of gold! The poverty you've saved my son; our sons from could never be repaid!"

The old man laughed, drinking in more spirit,

"Agh, blastpheme! Y-" he hiccupped, "You! You were the ones to bare such men to this world! It is only right they become heroes to this hell of a village!"

I looked at Father, then to Quek's. They would normally never stand for such insults, but they seemed as though they never heard it.

By the time Quek and I left with the old man, which we still didn't know the name of, it was dusk. The leathered coon slept in the back of his cart among his possessions as Quek and I steered the pull horse. He had pointed to the path to the right with a drunken, "tha's 'eh 'ay m' boys!" For hours we sat in silence as the brown horse clobbered on. The shock of what just happened still fresh in our systems.

By nightfall, we had set camp with a steady fire roasting a rabbit Quek had snared within moments of the attempt. Luck truly was with us today.

The man stirred,

"What in tar nation are you eating? There, just there! Eat to your content."

He was asleep in the following moment as Quek and I rationed out the food in the leather bag he motioned to. We spread some odd green goo onto flatbread and were amazed by how the simple meal tasted! Soon, the eyes grew heavy and we hunkered down by the fire, stirred by the occasional grunts of the old man.

Quek was the first to wake; he snuffed out the smoking remains of the fire as I stretched. For a second I had no idea where I was and why I was so moist. I quickly realized I was in the forest covered in morning dew. The sun peeked dimly through the trunk abjured horizon.

Once we were packed and set to go, the two of us stared at the still sleeping man who had just rewrote our lives.

"Eh, you wake him." I said to Quek.

"What? No! You do it! Your idea." he replied, stepping back.

I shut my eyes and nodded. I hope this ends well...

"Sir," I said, shaking him gently, then with a bit of vigor when he didn't awake. "Sir, we should continue on our way. Sir!"

He opened one eye, and then caught sight of me.

"AHHHH! Aaahhhh!" he scrambled back to the cart and hoisted himself up while recovering. In a moment he seemed to understand why he was with us.

"What?" Quek asked.

He looked at us, and then scowled, "OH GOD DAMN IT! I should have never accepted that ale! What the hell did I do?"

I looked at Quek who was as unsettled as I was,

"Sir?" I asked, cautious, "Sir, by what do you mean?"

"Why are you here?" He shouted then flinched, obviously hung-over.

"Sir?" Quek asked, still frozen in place.

He old man looked like he could strangle him at any second.

"Sir, you are taking us to train as hunters. In Miroluk; you said you could make us hunters."

Silence

Slowly as he remembered, his expression became dark.

"Go home. NOW!"

"Sir?" Quek asked, but I waved him off.

"Sir, you promised-" I started

"I don't care what I said, I was drunk!" he yelled, clutching his forehead.

No one said anything for a while, the two of us unsure on how to approach the situation. There was no way I would let my fortune be taken from me; from us!

"Who are you?" I asked, and then cringed as the old man wound up again.

"FOR THE LIFE OF ME! You don't know me and you think I'm going to make something of your pathetic peasant lives?"

For the first time since his drunken yesterday, the old man laughed,

"Deranged, I tell ya!"

Quek and I waited for him to tell us.

He stared from Quek to me, and then shook his head, "Verl Awstborn. Head instructor."

My heart sank; we were never going to be hunters now.

The old man calmed, "Look lads, I wasn't in my sane mind. I'm sorry to have made such a stir in your families' lives. But I really must be on my way, and you two must head home."

I stood there, staring off. I could make this work...The old man wasn't the one who accepted the students, it was the Miroluk Guild. Even though the old man, Verl, was quite high in status it was still up to the guild to accept us. We couldn't have gotten in. Unless...

The old man hopped into the driving seat of the wagon, Quek and I standing to its left.

"Boys, I'm sorry. But I can't, you know that."

He slapped the rains and the horse pushed forward. We walked after him, losing ground slowly.

"Amazing, Quek." I said, staring at the man who had his back to us, "The head instructor drunk in a shit-hole village like Gepqul, what an amazing story this will make."

The old man heard it, as I intended,

"Good luck with that being held as truth, lads" he said over his shoulder.

"Shouldn't be too hard with these, right?" I said after him, removing his twin sabers from my over coat.

He looked back and was awestruck by the sight of his glimmering weapons in my up stretched hands.

I grinned, "Wow, Quek, the Instructor drunk and stolen from. Must not be a very good warrior, huh?"

Without looking at us, he stopped the cart,

"Get in the fucking cart."


	2. Chapter 2

2

Four days passed by with the minimal of contact with Verl; my guess being he was still trying to work us out of our preposterous hunter idea. Quek and I did as much helping as the old man would allow; he wouldn't want to be using us and then deny us a second time, again he would be sending a poor message to the Miroluk guild and citizens. A majority of our time traveling was riding in the back of the cart, careful not to smash or break anything of Verl's. My bet the slightest misplacement of an item would be enough for Verl to go off again. In light of the same fear, we seldom talked to each other. Our expressions were enough, at least until we reach Miroluk.

As the familiar forest of home morphed into a sea of dark pine, the hills grew bolder and started rising higher and higher as if freed by the giant trees of summer. There was a noticeable difference in our breathing; more forced. By the third day, we could see the mountains I've only heard about in lore. Miroluk was close to the base of a large range of snowy mountains; snow dominating the terrain surrounding them nearly all year. My attention constantly consumed by the white peaks, thinking of stories heard from neighbors and drunks of the horrors people have seen there and the epics of hunters.

A shiver corrects my spine; those horrors will soon be mine. That is, if all goes well with Verl. The Hair stood up on my neck as adrenalin pulsed.

About mid day, we passed a curious tattered sign; Pokke Village – 13 miles.

"Pokke?" I asked Quek softly.

He stared at the sign, "I believe that's what Miroluk is, I've heard it called that before."

We jumped as Verl cleared his throat,

"Yes, Pokke is indeed Miroluk. Don't ask me why, I'm not certain. All I know is that the Village Elders have always wondered about the popularity of the name. I myself find it a tad childish, but I am a man of history so I will call Miroluk by Pokke quite often."

A brief moment of awkward silence followed, we being spared of Verl's predictable ridicule by a far off cry of a falcon.

"Sir, are you from Pokke?" asked Quek.

He paused a moment, "Yes, I am a Miroluk. Although, when I was young we were Pokes."

He chuckled to himself as I shot Quek a glance saying: _Oh, now he's cheery?_

Quek grinned, but he said no more to Awstborn. If Verl was warming up to us, well, let's keep it that way!

Suddenly, Verl stopped the cart.

_Oh hell, here we go again…_

He jumped out of the cart and hurriedly paced back the way we came. Several meters past, he stooped to admire something on the path's edge.

I jumped out of the cart and approached Verl, Quek doing the same.

"Sir? Have you found something interesting?" I said to him in the most respectable manner I could. I knew it could have easily been mistaken as a taunt; as if I wanted him to quit his nonsense and get back to the cart.

"I have indeed, lads. Come here and see." He said without looking up, retrieving a small knife from his vest.

Quek and I peered over his shoulders to find him digging at some herb.

"What is this plant?" Quek asked, also aware of the needed politeness.

He stopped and looked up as us, straining his neck.

"For such aspiring hunters, you don't know even what a Herb looks like?"

I looked at Quek, then to Verl, "Sir, we meant the name of this herb."

He made a clicking sound with his tongue and shook his head, "I know what you meant, and it is called an Herb. Called an Herb, and known as an Herb, lads."

I thought it was strange that this plant was named the same as the plant family it belonged to; like having your first and last name the same.

We watched him cut the outer leaves away and dug into the center of the plant where the fresh leaves he cut out were protected, which resembled a fiddle head of a fern to me. Suddenly it hit me, this was a hunter trick! I've heard that hunters used all sorts of man-made and natural resources in their duels with nature.

"This is a hunter trade, isn't it?" Quek said, beating me to the point.

Verl nodded, "when you're feeling a bit beat up, eat one of these. It'll make you feel a bit better."

The leathered man stood up and pocketed the Herbs. Before I could blink, he reached out and smashed my head against Quek's.

Grunting, I bit my tongue thinking this was a test of restraint or tolerance of pain. But he smiled and reached into his pocket and withdrew two of his newly acquired Herbs and gave each of us one.

"Eat it, experience it yourself." He grinned as we gingerly put them into our mouths. The taste was unique and surprisingly appealing, like watered down honey and peppermint. Almost as soon as I swallowed the Herb the pain in my right temple started to dissipate and quickly disappeared altogether.

I looked at Quek, who looked shocked of the results as well.

"Now you see why I stopped? You don't find these everywhere, not that their hard to find of course! But don't rely on this, it won't heal lacerations; you'd need something much stronger than this." Verl said with a blunt tone.

I looked back at Quek, _this man was extremely moody! _

Verl searched around the area he found the Herb and didn't find another. Just as quickly as we had stopped, we were in the cart again heading to climax of our odd journey.

Silence resumed as usual, although the mood of the trek had changed to a bit lighter hue.

As the sun started to slip behind the tallest mountain peak, I started to feel a bit drowsy. I have never been tired at this time of day, was there a narcotic property to an Herb?

A pair of glinting eyes and a quick movement in the pine underbrush to my left caught my attention.

I blinked, unsure what I saw.

"What," Quek asked, also a bit tired?

"I'm not sure," I replied, "it was a deer but…never mind, I was seeing things. I'm sure it was nothing."

"But it was black with white dots and had four ears?" Verl asked, not looking back at us.

Shocked, I forced a response, "Um, yes actually. Did you see it?"

"Well, I'm sure you know what a deer looks like, and guessing by your pondering I assumed you aren't sure what you saw." He replied.

"Yes actually, what was it?" I asked

"It was a Kelbi; their very jittery and easily startled. They are quite useful, but nasty buggers to catch." He said to us, looking back once.

As the moon rose in the night sky, the last murmurs of pink and violet rays of sun sank completely. The stars twinkled and played around the peaks with the most vibrant aurora I've ever seen in my life. Even if we were never to be hunters, this was something to take back. It was simply humbling; the pure beauty. The path we traveled on had been growing wider as more and more trails joined it.

"Finally, lads, this is Miroluk; Pokke."

As we rode under a wooden standing over the path I scanned it's sign proclaiming 'Pokke' with large paw prints painted in a faded red. All around was snow; snow on the roofs, snow plainly everywhere snow can be. It rarely snowed back home, winter only brought dead leaves and bone chilling gusts. The last time I'd seen snow was almost three years ago.

I looked at Quek, both of us grinning like kids. This was great!

Back in Gepqul, only the pub would be open at this time with barely anyone strolling around. Here, Miroluk was alive with people. Most were just talking to each other along the bare street as if they were unaware of the hour, others sat on benches drinking merrily with others, and stores and vendors were still open. Two kids chased each other in front of the cart and Verl's horse stutter-stepped slightly. The slight jerk knocked me out of my daze.

There was a serious matter on task so now is not the time to enjoy this festive night.

We passed weapon smiths, armor smiths, and merchants of all sorts as we approached the large guild hall. Near the hall entrance was a traveling seller; the old women smiled politely at us though never said anything about her items.

Verl stopped the horse and took a deep breath.

"I'm begging you, I'll give you money if I have to; just don't make me do this."

I looked at Quek, wondering how much money we were talking about.

Quek shook his head, frowning a bit.

"What's going to be so difficult? I don't understand why you are so nervous."

Verl looked back at us from the front of the cart without a trace of anger. He shut his eyes for a moment before starting softly,

"Your age isn't the only requirement in which you cannot meet. Tuition is also a factor. When I said I could get you in, I never mentioned how did I? If the guild accepts you two, you will be indentured after you pass all your training and start hunting professionally. Tuition is rather expensive you see, so you'd be under the guild's total control until they believe that you've repaid your dept fully. This is all hypothetically speaking since they haven't met you or even heard you were coming."

It took a moment to let it all sink in. I wish I would have known this before hand, although I'm sure I still would have accepted it to become a hunter.

"Isn't this school for those who can't afford Ahlym's hunter tuition?" asked Quek.

Verl scowled at him, "Do not speak of this place in such manner! This school is a fine institution!"

A moment passed, the abrupt volume change making the silence that resumed a bit odd.

"But yes," Verl continued. "Our tuition is lower than the great City's."

I looked at the guild hall before us, the large structure was beautiful to say the least. The wood was stained dark and the large chimney spewed massive amounts of smoke.

I looked back at Verl, who had jumped down and was tying the reins to one of the Hall's hitching posts near the entrance. When he finished, he asked,

"two-thousand Zen a piece, alright?"

I looked at Quek, who'd have none of it.

"No," he said, his voice defiant in the night. "Let's see what the guild thinks of us first."

Verl looked down, "Five-thousand?"

I tapped Quek's arm, we should think about this offer. That amount was more than two years worth of living easy for our families. They'd understand if we took this offer, right?"

"Twenty-thousand a piece," Quek returned, ignoring me.

"What! That's more than I own!" he said, hands in the air.

Quek shrugged, "Let's go in now, shall we?"

Furious that he wasn't getting through to us, Verl turned on his heal and forcefully slammed through the Guild's doors. We squeaked past the swinging door as we followed.

My jaw dropped when I got a good look at the inside of the Miroluk Guild Post.

There were armored hunters. Here, in the same building in which I stand in now, Hunters! To my surprise, the place didn't sound like the place of a hero, more like a large pub. Hunters and rich men and women sat at long tables, clanking mugs or laughing at the hunter standing and singing a tune to all.

Along the left, tables and bulletin boards offered quests and news. Three ladies, whom I must say were attractive, sat waiting tiredly for a hunter to require their help in making a deal on a quest.

"Nya! Are you young men lost!" came a squeaky voice.

I looked down, to find a feline staring back up at me.

"What?" I asked, trying to act normal. I'd never spoken to let alone see a humanoid before.

"Are you lost," the cat replied, getting inpatient.

"No, we're with that man." Quek said, pointing to Verl who was now talking to one of the men sitting at the tables. His face looked stern as he gestured our way without looking at us.

"With Verl? Meow!" The feline asked, surprised.

"Yes," Quek said. "Um, is that…the extra….um, necessary?"

The cat looked like he would do anything for a chance to rip Quek's face off right at the moment,

"IT'S INVOLUNTARY! Nya!" it replied, storming out the doors to the night outside.

I looked at Quek; _did he really have to ask why the cat meowed?_

He grinned, "I had to, it was weird."

"It was a bit unneeded to ask, but yes I agree," I replied.

We stood by the front door for a few minutes, staring at hunters and admiring their equipment. There were also mounts on the wall of massive beasts and plaques with proof of amazing feats by hunters.

Verl motioned us to him.

Silently, Quek and I walked to him. I was barely aware of myself holding my breath. Sweat collected on my forehead as my body warmed.

The bearded old man Verl was talking to was dressed in fine satin the color of gold. His cheek bared a large scar that ran across the bridge of his nose and up to his forehead. The old man seemed twice as old as Verl.

"They are quite old indeed," he said.

"Yes, but they seem bright enough, sir." Verl replied. _I bet those words tasted like vinegar leaving his tongue._

"I must say, since they found a way to make you bring them to Pokke!" the old man laughed, then coughed.

"Forgive me, Lads," the old man said, leaning forward to shake our hands. "I am Hiroshe, head of this Miroluk guild."

We be both greeted the man, eagerly mentioning our names.

"So, you two are aspiring hunters, yes?" He said, smiling.

I looked around the room; no one seemed to notice us here.

"Absolutely!"

"Yes sir!"

The man laughed, "How easily lore can lure the young dreaming of fame and fortune! Tell me, men, what is it like; the life of a hunter?"

The hunters around him at the table smiled.

"I lost my third companion this year." One said with a green set of scaled armor. _I wonder if it's from a wyvern…_

"My brother was eaten by Velosaprey, rest his soul," another said in shiny metal armor mismatched with leather pieces.

There was a quick moment of silence, before another hunter in light armor started.

"I'm scarred head to foot from a Rathalo's inferno."

_I've heard these names of monsters, but I have no idea what they look like…_

The man in the scaled armor next to him laughed, "Well you should have run when we told you to!"

The man in light armor shrugged and the others laughed again.

Smiling, Hiroshe asked us,

"Does this make you question your desires?"

We both shook our heads.

The old man sat forward, "I assumed as much, but there is a slight problem with tuition as you two know. Verl has told me of a solution to this, and I warn you, repayment will not be a walk In the park as will finding a place to stay."

We showed that we understood, afraid voicing our response would look like we were naive.

The old man nodded, "Well, the first gathering of students is in two days. If you two can find a place to stay by then, you will be welcomed to train here."

We exchanged awestruck looks. _NO WAY! WE'RE IN! Our lives will be of glory from now on! If we find some sort of housing…_

"Yoshu, Quek," Verl said, relieved that he isn't in hot water I presume, "try the smaller cabins in near the outskirts. Students never try there usually; offer the families' hefty payment after your debt has been paid to the guild. I must warn you, most will be housing a student already."

We nodded, adrenaline pulsing like mad within us.

"Go now, lads, and good luck to you!" Hiroshe said smiling.

We pushed through the doors into the cold night, waiting for our eyes to adjust to the lack of light.

"Well, what way?" asked Quek.

"Well, we should find the more unappealing places, guessing that the others would have wanted the larger cottages." I replied, rubbing my bare arms.

Quek nodded, and then we collected our things from Verl's cart. The horse snorted at us, steam pouring from its nostrils. It was really cold here at night.

As we walked back down the main, we both dug into our leather bags searching for warmer clothing. Soon we stopped quickly to apply sleeved shirting under our vests.

As we walked, we came to a couple talking near a small stream embankment off of the dirt main.

"Excuse us, but we were wondering in which direction in which we would have luck finding housing?" I asked them, who didn't look thrilled to be interrupted.

Wordless, the man pointed towards the beginning of town.

We walked a large distance before we found some cabins that looked plausible.

We stood before a rather un-kept cottage, debating on how to ask for quarters. Just as we approached the door, the candle light quickly disappeared from the cracks in the door.

"I guess we should try another?" I asked Quek, who nodded in return.

We moved our way to the next cabin, whose owner opened the door before we even knocked.

"Leave, we're already housing one and don't want the hassle of two more!"

The fat man slammed the door.

Quek shook his head, "Do you want to try in the morning? We could find some bench near the pub to sleep on tonight."

I gestured that I didn't really care too much; I was irked by the slammed door.

"Well, let's try a few more," I said

The next two houses were to no avail.

"Well, I'm going to find a place to sleep tonight. I think maybe we could stay at the guild?"

"Worth a shot, but I want to keep looking."

He nodded and waved to me as he left for the Hall.

Luck didn't seem to find me on my own either, I walked from door to door receiving the same message and once another slammed door. People weren't nearly as friendly here as they were back in Gepqul. But, I suppose they must grow tired of the constant proposals from young soon-to-be hunters. Maybe we could stay with Hiroshe or Verl? _…well maybe not Verl…_

Now the cold was really getting to me, but I was determined to find a place tonight.

_One more house_, I kept telling myself.

The only light now was from the moon and the light from homes seeping through cracks of doors and window blocks. I stopped before a cottage that looked like it had seen a lot of better days. There was a faint light still in the house I could see. As I walked up to the door through shin high snow, I noticed the properties vegetation was sticking out of the snow in most areas. I stopped in front of the door, hoped for the best, and knocked.

Nothing. Not a sound came from the cottage; just like many others who had ignored me.

Desperate, I knocked again, mostly for them to answer and I could bask in the heat that would be released.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," said a women who sounded old.

When she answered the door I saw she indeed was old.

She smiled at me, "Luck must be poor with you if you've come down the path this far, child. Aren't you a bit old too?"

Being called a child tripped me up a bit, but I ignored it. I didn't want this lady to leave me as quickly as the others; the warm draft or air from the cabin was seductive.

"The hour may have something to do with my luck," I grinned, aware of my lack of common sense. Not a good way to start life as an adult.

The woman chuckled, "Cold?" she asked rhetorically. "Come in; let's discuss the matter with some tea."

I thanked her, mostly for the chance to escape the cold. Despite the crude exterior, the inside was quite small and cozy; full of warm peach colors and a dark wood floor.

"So," she said, leading me to a small table. "What do you have to offer for your residence?"

"Um, about that," I started.

"No payment? No wonder no one has taken you in!" She said, setting a pot of tea above the fire place to warm.

I explained to her my journey here and why I wasn't able to offer any instant payment. In the meanwhile, she announced her name was Kilma and poured out the tea in two clay cups.

"I see. Verl does seem to think this 'I owe you' plan will work, huh?"

I nodded, this didn't sound good. I was starting to think she might actually house me.

"Well," she said taking a drink afterwards. "That plan suits me. I'm old, Yoshu, and it is getting very hard to manage this place. So I think we can work a deal. You do the chores here, and maybe collect a few things I need here and there when you're out and about training, and I'll house and feed you."

I nodded, delighted to finally have found shelter.

"As for your friend…" she said, sipping again at the hot tea.

I set down my empty cup, "Quek."

"Yes, Quek won't be able to stay here. I'm not even sure if I can support both of us as it is."

I looked down, regretting when I had to tell this news to Quek.

"But, I have many friends here so I should have no problem finding him a place to stay." She said, finished with her tea as well.

That night I slept next to the fireplace, using a few quilts she had given me. I found it a bit hard to sleep with her loud breathing only meters away but I was content. The next day I woke early, setting the tea back onto the fire. When Kilma woke, which was soon after me, she spread some of the same green goo onto flatbread that Verl had done over the trek to Pokke.

"What is this?" I asked at the table, trying not to let the food in my mouth stifle the words.

"That's my Mountain Herb Jam!" she beamed. "I sell it to most of Miroluk, and occasionally passing travelers."

I nodded at her to show my approval of the meal, "What's it consist of?"

Kilma laughed, "Well, that's my secret! But Mountain Herbs are key to its creation obviously."

After chatting with Kilma, I told her I would fetch Quek for her to meet. As I left, the air seemed pleasant; not cold like the night before. The sun was up fully, which made me think of home. By this time of day and season, I would have been out harvesting with Father and Vahne. I wondered if Vahne had returned soon after he'd left too…

I found Quek sitting near the massive fireplace in the Guild hall which was filled with Hunters asleep awkwardly from the night before. He nodded at me when he saw me approach,

"So you found a place then?"

I nodded back in response, "Yes, Kilma said she couldn't have both of us. She did say that she most likely can find you a place to stay!"

He sighed in relief, "I had to sleep in Verl's Cart. They wouldn't let me sleep in here."

_That would explain why he's still by the fire…_

I led him back to Kilma's cottage, where she gave him tea and a slice of flatbread with jam.

"My sister in law, Abelu, would be your best bet, Quek," she said.

After a few minutes of frenzied feeding, Quek followed her directions to Abelu's cottage not far from Kilma's. Fifteen minutes later he returned,

"Abelu will have me," he said, picking up his forgotten bag.

We smiled to each other, it was official; we were going to be hunters!

"Abelu's a nice woman, one of my closest friends." Kilma said, preparing some fish at the fire.

"You said she was your sister in-law?" I asked.

The old woman stood up, a sad look on her face.

"Yes she is; I was widowed a long time ago." She pointed to a large chest in the corner of the cottage. "That's Haym's things. He was a hunter; a good one too, but ran out of luck too soon."

I wanted to ask if he had died while hunting, but didn't when I saw Kilma's expression.

"I should go back, she has chores for me." Quek said.

"As do I for you, Yoshu." Kilma said to me.

I waved goodbye to my departing friend while Kilma handed me a snow shovel to clear a path to the road.

There was plenty for me to do for Kilma; shovel snow which I enjoyed; I love snow, fixing leaning doors, scraping off old paint from the walls and laying on a fresh layer, running to a general store for more preserving jars and wax with a pocket of Zen.

I enjoyed working; it reminded me of my family. I felt a pang of longing, wanting to have said goodbye a little longer what had happened. As soon as I find a traveler heading through Gepqul, I would send word home. Mother had learned how to write from her mother, and her mother from her mother who had learned from a friend. I've heard the story many times, and said it many time myself. It was rare for a villager of our status to know how to read and write.

Late in the afternoon, Kilma came to me with two Zen.

"Go find Quek and take him to the pub; many students usually mingle there. Make some acquaintances tonight." She said with a wink.

I blushed, "Thank you, ma'am." _Was she meaning women my age? Fat chance that'll happen…_

She laughed, "Don't disappoint me now!"

I met Abelu, and indeed she was a great plump old lady; full of humor. Soon, Quek and I left with a total of four Zen; more money than we have ever held in our hands before.

Kilma was right, there were a lot of students there; dozens. Half were younger than Quek, but there were still many our age, seemingly. I tried to fix my mangy hair but soon gave up. Quek didn't even bother trying; he really needed to trim it.

We sat at a deserted table, wondering whether we should spend some money now and order a beverage or wait. Some time passed until we finally went up to buy ourselves a pitcher for two Zen.

I noticed a group near our age sitting near us point and exchange words. I tapped the table to get Quek's attention when a rather lanky boy probably a year younger approached us.

"Hello, new to Miroluk?" he asked, an odd accent with his voice. He had a darker completion than most; his hair short and fuzzy.

"Arrived just the other night," I replied, unsure if I should be keeping my guard up.

"We saw, you came with Verl, right? Was that his horse?" he asked, looking at the people next to him quickly.

"Yeah, we came with Verl," Quek said, sliding back to see the guy better. The boy was obviously intimidated by Quek's size.

"That's …interesting. I'm Atolt, there are my friends. We were wondering if we could by you two a round. It's nice for new people our age to come; usually it's the young ones."

I looked at Quek and shrugged, he nodded.

We walked with Atolt over to his table with our half full pitcher. We sat down next to Atolt while he introduced us to the others.

"That's Turskel from Cayrid," he said, pointing to a rather chunky boy with straight brown hair. He has the traditional Cayrid tattoo of what I believe is a Rathian on his neck. "He's almost seventeen now."

Turskel nodded; a slight nervous smirk on his face. He looked like he was soft, I noted, like Vahne could whip him good.

"That's Emina; she's from Zancod like me. She's also about seventeen, right?" Atolt asked her.

"Yes," she said, waving at us; her black hair barely touching her shoulders.

Atolt nodded, "Lorton, from Sobozl." Lorton was meaty, but about thirty pounds under Quek. He ran a hand through his shorter light hair and nodded our way. I looked at the last person to be named, a girl.

She was staring at me. I dropped my gaze quickly, ashamed to be caught looking at her.

Atolt paused a second, seeing me and smiled, "Narabel, from Ashlm."

She nodded, finally taking her eyes off of me.

"Ashlm?" Quek asked, confused on why someone would leave the great city for a village school.

"Too poor for their schooling," she replied quickly clearing her throat.

Before silence could make things awkward, I introduced us.

"Quek, and I'm Yoshu; from Gepqul."

No one said anything for a second,

"Err, not to be rude but I really don't know how to ask this; how do you afford the tuition?"

I saw they were all leaning in to hear, I pushed a tiny flicker of embarrassment out of the way. I was proud to be where I'm from. We were dirt poor, but happy none the less.

Quek and I took turns explaining the story of how we came to be here to become hunters over the next few minutes.

"Wow, a week with Verl? I respect you already!" said Emina, laughing at our sake.

"He's always moody?" I asked. I had hoped that would change.

"Oh yeah!" Lorton laughed, "Don't piss him off."

I looked at Quek. _Too late._

It was late by the time we had stumbled home. As promised, Atolt had bought Quek and I a round of spirit…as did each of the others. We couldn't let them buy everything so Quek and I bought more pitchers. I drank more than I ever had in my life, and now I felt like I over did it a bit. Together we talked about hunting lore, what it was like training and how it was being so far away from home.

I opened the door to Kilma's Cottage, and found her asleep in her narrow, cushioned bed.

Good. I didn't want her to see me drunk.

I fell asleep instantly next the calming fire, boots still on my feet.


	3. Chapter 3

3

"C'mon Yoshu, get up!" I heard Kilma say, pouring freezing water on my face.

"BLAHH! AHH! What the hell!" I spat, choking on some of the water.

"Don't give me that boy! I'll have you out of here in a second!" she said, not much anger in her voice.

"…What…Why?" I gestured towards the empty jug in her hand.

"Initiation, dear child! You must be presentable by then! We've got less than two hours to get you looking like you mean business!"

I laid back into a puddle of water without a care, I was soaked anyway; the jolt from the sudden wake up making it hard to understand what this crazy woman wanted.

"I'm heating water as we speak, there's rags and soap on the table. I'll be outside; get me when you've washed. There's some of your clothing I've matched with clothing I've kept from Haym's things" She said, and left.

I rolled over and pushed myself to my hands and knees. My head was screaming, and I wondered how anyone would ever drink to this point knowing it felt like this?

_Never again this much, limits next time…_

Standing up slowly, I made my way to the table and collected its items. Returning to the fire where a pot of water hovered on the cooking hook, I wondered how the old woman knew about the initiation. I didn't even know the time of the initiation besides the fact it was today, how did she? What time is it now anyway? I was in no mood to puzzle over the lady and her knowledge. After stripping down, I dunked a large rag into the warm water and began to scrub myself. At home, we washed often because we lived next to a large stream, but never has the water been heated. It felt amazing.

I finished washing by dunking my head into the pot, loading it with lathered up soap from the bar and dunked my head a second time. The floor was covered in soapy water so I made sure to clean it after I dried myself. I put on the cleaned clothing, including Haym's leather vest which was as if new. I'm glad she's letting my use this one, mine was barely holding itself together. A fairly white shirt resided underneath it. I used my black leather belt to hold up the clean, tearless pants that were a tad too big for me. I cleaned up my boots quick, then went to fetch Kilma. She was standing on the cleared street talking to a younger woman.

"Ah, you're done!" Kilma said before I could say anything.

'Yeah," I said, rubbing my forehead.

Kilma laughed, "I only gave you two coins, how'd you get this bit up?"

I quickly explained the night to her with minimal detail.

The woman Kilma was talking to clapped her hands, "Shall we?"

We walked back into Kilma's Cottage. I tried to ask Kilma what was going on but she just hushed me.

They plopped me down onto one of the chairs and the woman I didn't know removed a pair of scissors from her belt.

"Kilma-" I started again, desperate to figure it out what was going on.

"Henna is just cutting your hair, relax child." She said, digging into her storages and mixing ingredients into a grinding bowl.

The woman began to prod at my hair with her fingers, snipping away locks here and there. I did begin to relax, the tensions and rubbing on my skull felt soothing.

"Atolt is a nice boy," Henna said. "I'm glad you met him last night. He's a really good hunter when it comes to students; might learn a thing or two from him."

I made a mental note to watch Atolt with care when training started.

"He seems to be a nice guy, yes." I replied, eyes shut.

"Here," Kilma said, handing me a muddy looking drink.

"Oh, no, I don't want anything right now, I can't." I said, nauseously. The smell was horrible and didn't set well with my stomach.

"Drink it, you'll feel better." She replied.

Henna stopped while I chugged down the concoction, and then continued after I handed the mug back to Kilma.

Soon I did feel better although I still had a bit of a headache, and Henna handed me an old mirror when she finished. I had to say, I was a bit shocked at first; my hair was only half of what it was, yet it was still fairly long. My bangs barely got in the way of my vision now, and for some reason my hair seemed a bit lighter in color. All in all, I was deeply impressed by how much Henna improved my appearance; I looked older, maybe twenty.

"I can't thank you enough," I told Henna, who smiled in return.

"You look hansom, like a big shot hunter." Henna said, brushing off the last remains of hair on my shoulders. Henna reached out and rubbed my neck quick with some sort of perfume on her fingers, which I thought smelt a bit manly yet strong. Kilma finished preparing a meal of fish, beans, and some sort of vegetable I had never seen. The two women chatted fiercely over petty things and other people within the village as we ate. It was delicious, absolutely.

A little bit after, Kilma and I headed towards the Guild Hall for the initiation. I saw Quek, who'd received a well needed hair cut as well, standing next to the building with Abelu. Kilma greeted Abelu with a long hug, and then held each other at arm's length as they shared stories or whatnot. The tension from the upcoming excitement getting my blood flowing with each passing second; I couldn't wait for the initiation to start. I was going to be a hunter! Our families will be honored forever in Gepqul, on one there has ever had the chance!

"How are you feeling?" I asked Quek, wondering if he was a little better off than I was considering his mass.

"Not completely bad, but still," he said, smiling at me.

I grinned back, "Not a bad way to settle in, right?"

Quek nodded, "Maybe a little less spirit."

I laughed, agreeing.

"Okay, lads are you ready?" asked Abelu.

Both of us nodded, and then were ushered down a path that went to the left behind the guild's gathering hall. A sign above our heads said that we were entering the hunting school of Miroluk. The two of us followed the path a ways before being met by a man dressed in some sort of low grade armor that looked more like everyday dress. He told us that the initiation started fairly soon in the grand arena. Ahead of us was a dark torch lit cave entrance into the side of a huge earth embankment stretching for hundreds of meters in a concave motion. We entered and were ushered through the maze of cellars and armories and out into the center of an arena.

I looked around, there in the center of the massive dirt grounds was at least a hundred students, waiting for the initiation to start. Quek pointed out Lorton. We walked towards him and saw the others there as well among the students. We greeted each other with smiles and handshakes.

"So, what's this about?" I asked Atolt.

He nodded, "Oh, it's not that big of a deal; it's for everyone no matter how long you've been training. Basically we are introduced to the instructors and how the training will go. Then new comers get their training uniforms and such."

"It's really just crappy armor, so we don't hurt ourselves according to Verl," Narabel said.

My eyes caught hers, but I didn't want to look away this time. I thought she was rather attractive last night, but seeing her here dressed in her grayish-gold satin dress that truly showed off her curves, she was stunning.

She smiled and looked down, leaving me to struggle for some sort of cover up. Everyone just saw me go slack jaw over her just now. Not the message I should be sending.

"Um, doesn't it start about now?" I asked.

"Any minute," came Verl's voice behind me as he made his way to the front.

The rumble of voices dropped almost instantly as everyone noticed Verl and the several adults who followed him including Hiroshe.

"Thank you for coming," Hiroshe wasted no time greeting us. "I am Hiroshe, Village Elder and Guild Leader. I see many old faces and those of students new to Miroluk; young and old."

He met my eyes in the crowd and nodded, the people around me looked at me and I tried not blush. I guess I failed because Narabel smiled at me at my right, leaned into my ear,

"You should relax, Yoshu."

I smiled back, but now that most eyes were focused somewhere else I did feel a bit relaxed…or maybe it was her?

Hiroshe continued, "This man here is Instructor Verl, who has taught young hunters like you for many years. He's a good man, and an even better hunter; mastering all weapons and sleighing even the most vicious of wyverns. Respect him as you would your own village elders."

The Guild leader gestured to the same man who was wearing the green scaled armor from the other day. Maybe all those men were instructors? As I listened, I noticed that only the lightly armored man from before was the last of the group testing our desires to be found in the teacher lineup.

"This here is Instructor Uisi, he will specifically teaching sword handling and techniques. He is also your equipment Instructor and will teach you how to be prepared for your quests."

Hiroshe gestured towards a bald man who was wearing the same armor as Verl; which was the same as the man who helped Quek and me into the training arena.

"This is instructor Ueno, he will be teaching hunting strategies and creature habits as well as hammer and Lance handling."

Now the Guild Leader nodded towards the lightly armored hunter I recognized,

"This is Ripoll who will instruct range weapon handling as well as survival basics."

Now the village elder pointed towards the last person yet to be named. She was middle aged and wore a slightly different armor which resembled that of Verl's.

"This is Aledyn," The old man continued. "She will be teaching about armor and how to use them effectively in your quests."

As Hiroshe spoke of student behavior and how our actions will affect the view of Miroluk, I looked back at Quek who was staring intently into the crowd. Sensing my gaze, he looked at me and quickly looked towards the instructors before us, red creeping into his cheeks.

I grinned at him; I wasn't sure what he had been doing but I had a pretty good idea. There was not a large quantity of women our age back home.

Suddenly, the mass of students began to shift forward leaving me puzzled.

"Atolt?" I asked him.

"New students get to try out weapon types while returning students are allowed to return home," Atolt said, waving as he fell back into the crowd, no doubt going back to the village.

"Later!" said Emina, squeaking past Quek and me.

Narabel smiled and brushed my forearm as she passed me, going with Atolt and the rest. I couldn't help but watch her as she left. I swear every time I see her, my breath shortens.

"You coming?" Quek asked me.

I gawked at him, finding words too late. "Uh, yeah, let's go."

I punched him in the shoulder; I didn't need him to be grinning at me like that. Plus, didn't he just do the same thing only moments before?

We walked to the group of gathering young teens standing before weapons resting on quilts.

Verl cleared his throat, "Alright, gather around and listen up; I won't repeat myself."

He picked up a pair of sabers off the quilt, the ones I had held a few days past.

I turned to Quek who was trying hard not to burst out in laughter. Verl must have seen this too because he threw us a nasty look to behave.

"This is what you call dual swords. Each one is crafted for a certain hand, to accent each other perfectly in battle. They work as a team; as one. If you use them right, you can overpower even ten Velociprey at once."

I nodded, I loved the way they had felt back home; the way they whistled in the air made my skin crawl with excitement. I felt like I could take the whole world with them in my hands.

Verl set them back where they were after displaying a fury of well practiced swings and heaves to the awestruck new comers.  
"This is a lance," he continued, just holding the shield's straps instead fastening it. Heaving up the weapon itself he said, "Its heavy, but a very effective weapon when working in groups against larger targets."

Dropping it rather than smoothly setting the lance down, he quickly swooped up an extremely long sword, dropping the sheath.

"This-," he said, swinging the blade to the side and up as he jumps back. The blade making a lower yet louder zing sound than the sabers did. "-is a long sword, bet you can't tell how it got its name can you?"

To my left a younger kid looked to be about to answer the rhetorical question stopped himself decided against it.

Verl sheathed the beautiful weapon and swooped up a sword and a shield.

"A sword and shield; it offers protection with a nasty bite." The old man chopped at the air a few times before returning the set to the ground. Verl grabbed a small metal object next to an odd looking object that had no edge at all.

"Has anyone seen a bowgun before? I'll be surprised if you have." He said, opening a slot on the weird contraption and placing the metal object within it.

"Get ready," the man said, heaving it to his side and aiming it towards a sack of garbage some distance away.

The explosion was the loudest thing I've ever heard in my life. I had no idea what was to happen and when the smoke cleared I was still freaking out like the rest of them. Quek tapped my side and pointed to the sack that had been blown to bits in a fiery blaze.

"How does it work?" I asked, too in shock to remember manners. The younger kids around me looked just as confused as I probably did.

He looked at me as if I was drooling, "you'll learn later."

I didn't drop my gaze right away; I wanted this moody man to understand that he shouldn't push me, despite what my father said. But, thinking of the probable outcome of a confrontation made me look to the ground.

Verl switched the bang maker for a large, studded hammer.

"Here I have a hunting hammer. The strong can hold it, but only those strong yet nimble can use it effectively."

He brought it around to his backside and through his weight forward, slamming the massive weapon into the dirt. I could feel its impact in my feet. When the head instructor removed the hammer from the dirt there was a hole deep enough to fit my head in. Verl swapped the hammer for something I was more familiar with; a bow.

"This isn't your regular bow; this is a hunter's bow."

The leathered man knocked an arrow which was longer than my arm and had a tip like a knife stabled with three large colored feathers. I watch him pull back on the string, muscles straining against the tug. With a twang, the arrow sliced through the air with a hum and some distance later sunk itself into the arena wall where it stayed.

Verl looked back at us, obviously impressed with himself, "Tomorrow you will all have a chance to try each of these weapons yourselves with proper tutoring against still targets."

I smiled to myself, I was going to own with that bow. I've shot several bows but nothing as advanced at that one Verl demonstrated with.

"Now follow me into the armory and we can get you all some training uniforms."

Verl lead the twenty or so students back into the arena's field entrance. After a few turns here and there in the maze of underground passages we were crowded into a room filled top to bottom with all sorts of armors. My eyes stopped on a torso piece that had a huge skull on the right shoulder with spikes covering the majority of the surface. Not far from it was a piece of legging that seemed as if made of rock.

Verl held his hand up, the chatter died, "Alright, line up, shortest to tallest."

He nodded, "Yoshu, Quek, you're last."

I looked at Quek who had busied himself admiring vambraces and a pair of plated boots. I stood next to him as Verl handed out bundles of fresh uniforms to the kids who had finally gotten queued up correctly after some time. It wasn't too long until the last person had received his set.

"Here you are," Verl said to us as he handed each of us our own uniforms. He turned on his heal and clapped his hands. "Okay, today was a brief warm up. Tomorrow we will go over some other minor details involving classes and such. You are dismissed; do not wander around this arena, just get back to the village."

Quek and I led the group back through the entrance and back into the blinding daylight; my eyes adjusted quickly.

"Want to find Atolt and the others?" Quek asked, a faint snicker hidden behind squinted eyes. He knew I wanted to see Narabel. I have no idea why she affects me the way she does…

"Sure," I said, looking at the wrapped up set in my hands. It was mostly black, the only details I could see, and feel, were metal plates covering sections of the fabric. In areas there was red fabric sowed in a fashion down the torso on either side. To my surprise, the metal leggings weren't that heavy. Most parts were hardened black leather. The uniform looked nice, but didn't offer much protection. I could see obvious openings where a fang or horn could easily slide between the plating.

Quek and I walked back up the lengthy graveled path into the village main. Just as expected, we found the friends we were looking for among other students and commoners.

"There they are; hey guys, over here!" Lorton said to the others while waving us to them. We sat down next to them. I didn't feel as though I was intruding like the last time, I felt like these were old friends. There was still a bit of doubt that these weren't the greatest people to be spending time with but that was just a thought in the back of my mind; I really liked them so far.

"Hey, have you guys chosen your weapon classes?" Emina asked, her hands under her knees.

"No," I admitted, Quek shook his head.

"Have you used anything like them before? Probably not," Turskel said, flicking his hair to his left.

"Well, we hunt with bows and have sparred a lot with wood swords and all, but nothing at that caliber." Quek said.

Atolt grinned, "Spar, huh? Want to take one of us? Just for giggles?"

I remembered what Kilma and Henna had said about Atolt, but I still wanted to see for myself.

"I will," I said, raising an eyebrow. A small grin crept over my face, this was probably going to end bad for me. Maybe getting bruised up before the real first day of training wasn't the best idea.

"You sure? Okay, who you want?" Atolt asked, smiling as well.

"I was thinking you, for the hell of it," I replied. I swung a leg over the bench and got up. I stretched and yawned, back cracking. I felt good; good enough to rough house right now.

Atolt shook his head, "Ambitious. I like that. Okay, let's do it!"

Narabel and Lorton went to the pub counter and started to talk to the owner while I asked Atolt what we were going to do.

"Well, Lorton and Narabel are getting some practice swords and we're going to do this right here. Or would you rather sparring in a more private place?" Atolt had a grin on his face; I could tell he wanted to prove his cunning in front of most of the fellow students.

Quek laughed at me, "You sure, Yoshu? I don't want you to look foolish, not right before training."

I shrugged, "Um, yeah. I can do this, right?"

"Eh," Quek said, looking at me sideways, "possibly. You're not bad, but Atolt's been doing this a while, Yoshu."

"Too late now," Narabel said, returning with Lorton with two wooden swords. She walked up to me, pressing the whittled hilt into my chest,

"Good luck, you'll need it."

I swallowed, "Sure, thanks."

"Hey, look at this! This'll be good! That new guy's taking on Atolt!" someone said at the table next to ours. I watched in horror as dozens of people gathered around.

Atolt laughed, "In over your head?"

"Maybe," I said, and then quickly pushed the thought away. Now isn't the time to doubt myself.

"Back up, back up. No one needs to get hit in the face now." Lorton said, shooing the onlookers back a few steps.

"Ready?" Narabel asked, backing away with a grin.

I nodded at her confidently. I didn't want her to see any doubt.

"Go!" shouted Emina, standing next to Turskel.

Suddenly Atolt's face went stern. The chatter had grown into a dull roar of chants and rubbish talk.

"Hugh!" Atolt let loose, bringing his wooden saber over his head and lunging with surprising aggression.

I barely got my sword up in time to through off the offensive strike. I took a step back to get some distance between us. Atolt was much faster than our friends back home.

Just as quickly as he had lunged, he brought his elbow up and pressed the wood blade softly to my throat.

"One point!" he said, backing off. "Ready to start again?"

I nodded, the crowd pushing me back into the newly formed ring.

_In over your head is an understatement, Atolt!_ I thought.

"Okay, here goes," he said, rushing at me with cunning agility.

Atolt pushed he blade out in front of him, aiming for my stomach. Quek did this often because it was the only place you could hit your opponent fairly hard. I parried his move with precision, then countered by bringing the sword back around and slapped at the back of his knee. His leg gave out, dropping him onto the knee momentarily. Before he could finish a counter, I sidestepped around his backward swing and tickled his nose with my tip.

"One point," I said. I lowered the wooden saber and picked him up to his feet. I could hear Quek over the others cheering for the success.

"I underestimated you, Yoshu. Forgive me, but now I will not let you get the better of me." He replied.

I smiled nervously, unsure what to expect.

This time, I was the first to make a move. I made a lazy downward swing, willing him to chase it and open up a counter opportunity. He didn't take the bait. Instead, he waited for my useless counter swing and blocked it.

I stepped back; he was too good for me to be aggressive like this.

He answered my attempt with his own attack. Atolt rushed forward and slapped my defensive swing away like a fly.

_Crap!_

I caught a full side swing to the stomach. I resisted the urge to double over, making sure no one could tell it hurt a bit. Atolt backed off so we could start again.

"Two to one, how long do you want to continue?" Atolt asked with a bead of sweat on his brow.

"Go to three." Narabel said to my left. "No point in overkill, Atolt."

I nodded my approval but frowned at the insult, and Atolt nodded back.

I jabbed stepped, resulting in Atolt putting his weight to his right. I fainted back to the left, then lunged low and dragging the wood saber across his midsection; his blade just moments from clobbering my head.

"Smooth," He said to me, stepping back and I did.

We squared off again, the cheering growing immensely. Sweat trickled down my cheek and I brushed it off on my sleeve.

I knew Atolt would use this opportunity to strike. He upward slashed at my face which I ducked out of the way. Keeping my balance, I brought the blade up to catch the guy's downward recovery strike. Almost being overpowered in the awkward position, I shrugged it off and leaped back into the crowd. A few people nudged me back into the center, where Atolt waited.

Circling, we stared at each other; both of us wanting to play it safe and be defensive. I stole a glance at Quek, who nodded at me, willing me to make the first move.

I wanted to make sure I knew where his blade was going to be coming from so I stutter-stepped before rushing forward. The slight hesitance gave me enough foresight to see him begin to crouch, pulling the blade back behind him. Bringing my saber over my left shoulder I faked a downward attack, but changed course to counter his low slash.

Crack!

I stepped back in surprise, staring at the splintered half of my sparring sword.

Atolt stood up, "We'll call it a tie."

I grabbed his outstretched hand and shook it, Quek came and patted me on the back.

"Yoshu, I thought you were screwed there for a moment! Way to pull it through!"

I smiled at him, hand on his shoulder, "Oh, thanks for the faith!"

He shrugged, and I dropped my hand. Atolt collected the broken pieces of the sparring sword and went to return them with his own.

"Nice Yoshu!" Lorton said, slapping my on the back, "You're better than you look."

I thanked him, turning to see Narabel.

"Never seen a stutter-step used as a first move twice and be successful." She said to me, her hand on my back making me light headed.

"Uh, yeah, well I was trying something new. Nothing I knew really seemed usable against Atolt. He's really good."

"You're really good; good enough to tie against Atolt." She replied.

I gestured to everyone to sit, since everyone else had gone back to their business. Atolt met us at the table with a pitcher and some mugs tucked between himself and his arm.

I reached up to aid him, handing them out to everyone.

"Those sparring sabers, they are just too weak," Atolt said, sitting down and pouring himself a mug before passing it on to Emina.

I shrugged, "They're better than the branches we use back in Gepqul."

Everyone laughed a little, most focused on the pitcher and praying there'd be enough for themselves.

Narabel nudged me on my right, "Pass the pitcher, would you."

I did after I poured myself some without taking much; wouldn't want to be a freeloader.

We talked into the night, at first of our duel then of the upcoming day. Quek and I were to expect lots of physical work before we started any weapon trials. The first week or two always focused on building endurance. I drank as little as possible, knowing full well that I couldn't stick with the others; they seemed to have had a lot of practice at holding their liquor. Quek didn't drink much as well, although he had his fair share in the beginning. I met some other people briefly, making their remarks on the spar. One girl seemed particularly lively while talking to me; I think her name was Evore.

Before it got too late, I gathered Quek and walked back towards home.

We weren't out of the village main before Quek started to give me crap,

"Hey, that blonde was kinda cute, what was her name?" He said, not bothering to cover his evil grin.

"Evore I believe," I said, smiling. I can't help but smile when Bull Boy is this way.

"Huh. She looked a bit older than us, didn't she?"

I nodded and he laughed, his breath creating a trail of fog in the cold night air.

"You notice how quiet Narabel got when Evore talked to you?" Quek said, looking at me sideways. "I think she might have a thing for you, Yoshu."

I looked at him, and he burst out laughing. Of course he would tell me what I wanted to here.

"Yeah, well what about Emina? She seemed pretty warm with you tonight." I said, trying to get back at him, but laughing just the same.

Quek shrugged, "Eh, not really. Plus, she's all over Atolt anyways."

"True," I agreed and stopped; here at the road's fork we took separate ways. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow."

"See ya later, Yoshu." He said, walking his way.

It wasn't long before I was stepping into Kilma's Cottage. She was still up, sitting at the table knitting.

"Ah, you're home. How was it, dear?" she said without looking up.

I closed the door and took off my dusty boots, "fun, Quek and I met up with Atolt and the others. We sparred too; Atolt and I."

She stopped what she was doing and looked at me, "Really? You hurt badly?"

I looked at her and shook my head, "No I'm not hurt, and actually, we tied….kind of."

"Wow, impressive." She said, starting to knit again, "what do you mean by 'kind of?'"

I filled her in on the matter, Kilma stopping to look at me every now and then.

"I see, well, I think you've just earned your place with your friends."

I grinned, "Possibly, yeah."

She set her work on the table, "you hungry?"

I debated, but gave to my wants, "Famished."

She gave me a bowl and gestured to a pot over the low fire. I filled my bowl full and within minutes it was empty.

Kilma had me fetch some more firewood from behind the house; it steamed heavily with the moisture. Not long after I felt drowsy and wrapped myself up in my covers near the fire, sleep found me quickly.


End file.
